Lack of planning will let down city

Lack of planning will let down city
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: If the city was cursed by a natural calamity like the Mumbai deluge or an earthquake, it would certainly sink, instead of standing like a rock in a hard place. This could happen only because of the lack of any foresight in planning. Disaster management is still only a concept and not a plan of action.

With the current infrastructure development leading to the construction of well developed roads and buildings, a tremor measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale will mess up drains, disrupt water supply and will render many a man homeless. What do town planners have to say about this predicament?

Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) M N Vidya Shankar told this paper that the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) does not take into consideration such eventualities

‘‘The CDP is a land use plan, as we do it. We do not have any infrastructure plan, it is just the design of layouts and the demarcation of green belt areas. There is an agency at the Central Government, which handles calamities. They are an advising body called the disaster management wing,’’ he said.

The same is the case with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) where no disaster management strategies have been discussed.

‘‘We are constantly upgrading drain and water supply pipes. But, the city will not be susceptible to floods or any major disaster,’’ they said.

Sources from the BCC say the maintenance of storm water drains will obviate any possible flooding. But, most of the storm water drains in the city are yet to be remodelled.

‘‘A total of 73.4 km primary and 105.9km secondary drains need to be remodelled. While some work has been initiated on Kormangala valley and Chellaghatta valley, work is soon to begin on a large part of them,’’ said BCC engineer-in-chief P K Srihari.

Bangalore at the moment has not prepared itself for future uncertainties. Nobody really knows when and where nature will strike. So, brace yourselves for mega disasters as our town planners and opinion leaders are not prepared for either.